B

    John's birthday is on August 16th. His parents are going to have a party for him. He is very happy about it. He would like to invite his friends to the party. Last Sunday night, while John was in his room, his mother walked in.

    "Are you still doing your homework?" she asked.

    "No, I'm writing a letter to Uncle Tom," John answered.

    John's mother was very surprised because John never wrote letters to anyone.

    "Are you asking him to come to your birthday party?"

    "No," John answered, "Uncle Tom never comes to my birthday parties."

    "Then what are you writing about?" his mother asked. "Will you read me the letter?"

    "OK," John said, "but I haven't finished it. I have only written two lines. I'll read them to you."

    "Dear Uncle Tom, thank you very much for sending me such a nice gift. I hope..." her mother stopped him. "But Uncle Tom hasn't sent you any gifts."

    "I know," John answered. "I'm not thanking him for this year's gift. I'm thanking him for last year's. You know, it's never too late to thank him."

    In the 1920s, the airlines were just beginning. It was unusual for people to travel by air because it was expensive and dangerous. In those days, there were no flight attendants (服务生) to look after the passengers. Young men, or “stewards” helped the passengers onto the airplane and carried the passengers' bags but they did not provide food and drinks. But then in 1930, a woman called Ellen Church invented the “stewardess”.

    Ellen Church was born in 1904 on a farm in Iowa. She was a different child. She didn't want to work on a farm or marry a farmer. She wanted a more adventurous (冒险的) life. Ellen studied to be a nurse at the University of Minnesota and then got a job in a hospital. For the next few years she stayed at the hospital and at the same time took flying lessons and got her pilot's license.

    Ellen was 25 years old when she first got in touch with BAT (Boeing Air Transport). She loved flying but she understood that airlines were a man's world. Though women like Emelia Earheart were becoming famous, she realized it was impossible for a woman to have a career as a pilot. But she had another idea. Most people were afraid of flying because flying was still not a very safe way to travel. There were often delays (延误), many crashes and the bad weather made many passengers sick. Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and BAT agreed.

    The young woman from Iowa and seven other nurses became the first air stewardesses.

    At first pilots were unhappy because they did not want stewardesses on airplanes, but passengers loved the stewardesses. In 1940 there were around 1000 of them working for different airlines. The early “stewardesses” had to be under twenty-five-year-old, single and slim. When a woman joined an airline, she had to promise not to get married or have children. It was a hard job and not well paid. They worked long hours and was paid $1 an hour.

    In the 1970s, stewardesses were unhappy in their job and airlines had to make some changes. Since the 1970s, “stewardesses” have been called flight attendants. They are well paid and work fewer hours than in the past.

    There was a kingdom long, long ago. It was ruled by king who loved riddles. Once a year the king made a new riddle. He gave a prize to the person who could solve the riddle.

    There was a baker who also lived in this kingdom. Everyone agreed that he baked the finest breads. The baker had almost everything he needed except for a horse. If the baker had a horse, he could sell his fine breads from one end of the kingdom to the other.

    One year the king made a new riddle that puzzled everyone. "I will give a prize to the person who can solve my riddle," the king said. Whoever wins will have the pick of one of my strongest horses." He then drew a line down the middle of the courtyard "Make this line shorter without erasing(清除) any part of it," the king challenged.

    People came from far and wide. They looked at the line and squinted at it. They even put their noses to the ground and scratched their heads.

    How can you make a line shorter without erasing any part of it?” the people in the crowd asked each other. Some of them tried. The dressmaker kicked dirt(泥土)over the line to hide it. The farmer poured water over the line to make it disappear. None of these efforts worked, and the people went home disappointed. Everyone was puzzled about how to solve this new riddle.

    A week passed, and nobody had any new ideas. Then one day the baker came into the courtyard with a bag of flour(面粉).

    Your Majesty, "the baker said to the king, I can make your line shorter without erasing any part of it." Then the baker opened his bag of flour. He poured out a line of flour right next to the king's line. The line the baker made was longer than the king's line.

    Now, good king, "the baker smiled, "your line is shorter.

    The people were amazed. The king laughed and clapped his hands. "You have won the prize. I will give you a horse of your choice.

    The baker was excited. Now he could sell his breads from one end of the kingdom to the other.

    At just 17 years old, Pakistan's Malala is the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

    Malala came to international attention when she spoke up for the rights of all children to have an education. Malala's father was a teacher who ran a school. For her early life, her family lived in the school so she was used to sitting in the classrooms before her school age. Now, she can speak three languages and loves learning.

    She grew up in Pakistan. The living conditions in her area were very poor and unsafe. Many people were hurt and many schools were closed. Especially girls were not allowed to go to school.

    Reporters from Britain told the world what was happening with the help of Malala. In 2009, 12-years-old Malala wrote 35 diaries on the Internet. She wrote about the difficulties of her life, and about her strong hope for education. Soon after that, Malala's family was chosen to be in a TV program to show ordinary children's education because both father and daughter spoke good English, and they cared about children getting an education.

    From then on, a few people hated her and hurt her. Though terribly wounded, Malala became a courageous fighter for the education rights of millions of girls worldwide. "I don't want to be remembered as the girl who was hurt, I want to be remembered as the girl who stood up," she said.

    She has now written a book about her life called I am Malala. The book shows that one person's voice has the power to inspire change in the world. In her speech, she spoke warmly about her aims for education and peace. One sentences she said one day became famous: One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can greatly change the world.

    I am Steve. I was born and grew up in South Wales. My favourite place to play was out on the hills where my imagination had plenty of space to expand (拓展).

    My family moved out of Wales when I was thirteen. I went to a new school. One of my subjects was

    French. Because I had never learned any French, my teacher told me to sit in the corner and write anything

    I was interested in. That's the time I started writing, just for myself, and I've been writing ever since.

    I have always loved BIG IDEAS, and so I enjoy writing fantastic stories. And I also write horror (恐怖) stories. I think they are like the old fairytales (童话故事), and can teach you important things.

    I am in my forties on the outside, twelve on the inside. I like rock music, Indian and Chinese food, and

    I enjoy drinking. I live in a small village with my wife Mary,ducks,cats, goats,hens and lots of rabbits. If you'd like to find out more about me and hope to buy my books, go to www.sbowkett.freeserve.co.uk.

    A restaurant had one falled upon hard times. Only five 1 were left: the manager and four others, all over 60 years old.

    In the town near the restaurant there lived a successful businessman who was good at managing business, so the manager2to ask the businessman if he could offer any advice that might save the restaurant. The manager and the businessman talked for a long period of time, but when he was asked for advice, the businessman 3for a while and then said, "I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the saver (救星) is one of you."

    The manager, returning to the restaurant4, told the other people what the businessman had said. In the months that5, the old restaurant workers thought carefully of the words of the businessman, "The saver is one of us?" They asked themselves. As they thought about this possibility, they all began to treat each other with6respect(尊重). And thinking that each of themselves might be the saver, they also began to treat themselves with more care.

    As time went by, people coming to the restaurant7that some respect and warm kindness were around the five old members of the small restaurant. Hardly knowing 8, more people began to come back to the restaurant. They began to bring their friends, and theirs brought more friends. Two 9 later, the small restaurant had once again become a big food company, thanks to the businessman's10. They understood that it was they themselves that were the savers.